Hi EatingMadness,

With the problems you are experiencing just now, even having thoughts about what would help others the most says a lot of positive things about your personality and your outlook on life. Today we can only do what we can and it is often very little.

I will share one of the ways of looking at life which I have found helpful. I am blessed with a fantastic view of the North Sea. When I look at all that water, with all its’ beauty and today ‘s millpond like stillness, but often with powerful, potentially destructive crashing waves, I sometimes consider this. Every drop of water, in that sea, has evaporated and become part of a cloud, who knows how many times over. It has then fallen back down to earth as tiny rain drops and eventually become part of a sea or ocean again.

Every decision or action we take towards reclaiming our health is like a single drop of rain. Individually they are tiny, but when we finally start to have the right information, the right thoughts and begin to make the right changes, gradually and over time they can add up to bigger differences than we could ever have believed possible. We all need to stop beating ourselves up for what we ought to have done and just try to make those rain drop sized changes we do have the energy for, or the will power to do or whatever else it is we have today. Even if it is just the thought to say, I will make at least one better food choice tomorrow.

May those small changes bring bigger benefits soon.

AARA

GrahamSPhillips – I’m not familiar with how much the other tests you mention show. I’m following the advice of my nutritionist and so far it’s going as she expects.

AARA – I have considered writing a book, but certainly don’t have the energy for it at the moment. I’m not sure what would help others the most.

Hi,

I’m new to here. What is the best extra virgin olive oil brand to purchase in Australia. I am aware that many are counterfeited or adulterated. Thanks

Hi Eating Madness: I looked at the sample report from diagnostic solutions – they seem to pick up on pathogens and various levels but by no means (from what I can tell) do they provide a complete mapping or diversity like american gut or ubiome or maymygut. I’m wondering therefore what is the basis of your exclusion diet? From the admittedly limited information you’ve shared, I’m a little concerned that you only have 25% of the facts? I hope this is helpful
Graham

Thank you Eating Madness I will look into this company

Regards pussycat

Hi Eating Madness,
Thanks for the update. When your back to full health your case is going to make a great case study for someone. If and when you are up to it have you considered keeping a journal/diary, doing a blog, or may be just keeping this forum updated on your progress from time to time. Do not want to put any stress or pressure on you, that is in anyway going to slow your progress.

If we are ever going to get the NHS to work towards becoming a keep folk healthy service, rather than a treat you when your ill service the evidence to change the current mainstream thinking is going to need to come from people who have adopted a non bio medicine approach to regaining their health.

Anyone else up for the challenge?

Hope you are all improving day by day.

AARA

GrahamSPhillips and AARA – I am working with a nutritionist who is closely monitoring me. I am expecting to get worse before I get better, but hopefully it won’t be for long (while I adjust to the supplements). With the state my body has got to, it will take a while to recover completely, but I’m hoping that by Christmas I’ll be eating more than the brussel sprouts and carrots!

Thanks for all of the recommendations, I will refer back to this in due course.

I still can’t believe quite how ill I’ve become from all of this, but think that it was worse about a year ago and that my restricted diet since then had already started to improve my gut. I dread to think what the test would have showed back then. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone and wish the NHS would realise how vital our gut health is to our overall wellbeing and the serious problems that it can cause.

I wish all of you the very best in dealing with your conditions and hope you stay or get on the right path to better health.

Hi Pussycat,
My stool test was done through Diagnostic Solutions Laboratory in the States.
Good luck!

Hi Eating Madness,

You really are having a very unfair share of dietary challenges and I truly hope things improve very soon. I had problems back in the 1980’s and the Doctor who restored me to health after a 5 year period of ill health, was a Dr. Damien Downing. He is currently in private practice in London. Just Google him if you are in a position to get to London and paying privately is an option for you.

His consultations used to be relatively reasonable, but the supplements etc. he prescribed could get very expensive. With annual check-up and taking his supplements my health coped with anything I threw at it until my personal circumstances changed and private medicine was a luxury I could no longer afford.

Dr Downing has been treating leaky guts and using probiotics since the 1980’s. Very much a man ahead of his time. In the 1980’s it was called Nutritional Medicine and he was helping folk with Chronic Fatigue and Allergy and other conditions where the NHS just did not have a clue where to start back then. I remember being put on exclusion diets and rotation diets. At one point I was only allowed to eat literally just Lamb and Pears. If you are going on the very restricted diet, I consider you need good advice from a specialist Doctor, Nutritionist or similar. That way your diet is expanded again as quickly as possible. When people try to do exclusion diets themselves and end up missing out whole food groups for a long period of time they are likely to end up with Nutritional Deficiencies, which can become problematic over time

The Americans refer to this type of medicine, which aims to get to the root of the problem , rather than just mask the symptoms as Functional Medicine. Sadly it appears that any Doctor who wants to use this approach in the UK is still being forced into private practice, because getting to the root of the problem takes up too much time. The Doctor who did the Doctor in the House programs for the Beeb. Dr. Chatterjee is setting up in private practice in the Manchester area to enable him to use this Functional Medicine approach.

Hope this helps you of others.

AARA

But one capsule is not going to provide enough fibre to make it useful as a dietary prebiotic. And this is a prebiotic forum. Take enough to make useful as a dietary fibre and you’re going to overdose on iodine.

It should go without saying that overdosing on iodine for a prolonged period is no small issue.

Q: But presumably (this is the bit I don’t understand) each person’s body also has some influence on this? Are some ‘internal’ bodily factors more important than others, I wonder? If so, what are they?
A: The evidence eg from identical twins studies) is that the individual body/genetic makeup has surprisingly little influence and that diet is the crucial thing.

More here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0z03xkwFbw4

Q: To what extent is the content of the microbiome influenced by non-external factors?

A: It starts at childbirth (natural or otherwise) then breastfeeding or not (breast milk contains around 200 bacteria) then childhood infections treated by repeated antibiotics. Then environment (for example living on a farm, surrounded by animals – or even just having a pet dog! But by far the greatest influence seems to dietary

Likewise- and did they advise you next steps? The trouble with restricted diets is that they also incrementally narrow your microbiome so can be a vicious circle

Hi Eating Madness

Please could you advise which company you used to carry out your gut test?

I hope you make a good recovery and can start consuming a more varied diet

Regards pussycat

I’ve finally had my gut test back! I have multiple bacterial infections, a parastic infection, a yeast infection, elevated yeast, overgowth of good and opportunistic bacteria, a gluten sensitivity (could only be temporary), intestine inflammation, and I’m not digesting protein properly.

These seem to explain most of my symptoms and mean I have endotoxemia which could be causing the chronic migraines. I also have a genetic mutation which causes an energy deficiency throughout my body, so these infections have probably hit me hard and I haven’t been able to fight them off like a normal person.

I’m on a very restricted diet – no gluten, no dairy, no sugar, no carbs and no grains. Basically meat and veg, but those are very limited as I react to salicylates and oxalates. Thank goodness I can still get the elemental drinks. I am also on 4 supplements and fingers crossed I should start seeing an improvement in 3-6 months. It feels like a long time, and I’m struggling with the diet already.

Thank you for all of your feedback. There is now light at the end of the tunnel:-)

The Eran Segal video is a good introduction to Dr Barry Sears knowledge.
Missing in his knowledge is blood (AA/EPA) test which predicts the individual’s pre-chronic illness condition,
and which can be controlled by the addition of high -purity fish oil to the diet.
It is because nowadays the populace blood has low levels of DHA/EPA and high levels of Omega 6 that chronic illnesses
are now so prevalent.
kindest regards

Take a look at this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0z03xkwFbw4

Me too please

Dear POL and others,
Gastrointestinal problems which are caused by inflammation.

I would refer you to Chapter 14 “Pain and inflammation” of “The Miracle of the New High-Dose Fish Oil”
by Dr Barry Sears , available through Amazon.

Yes, everyone’s body is of course different…that is why blood tests :-
AA/EPA
TG/HDL
Fasting Insulin

as explained in Chapter 9 of the above tome.

kindest regards

GrahamSPhillips: Thanks. To what extent is the content of the microbiome influenced by non-external factors? Obviously we all eat different things, are exposed to different environmental factors, from the womb and birth onwards… so in that sense it’s easy to understand why eveyone’s microbiome will, to varying degrees, be different. But presumably (this is the bit I don’t understand) each person’s body also has some influence on this? Are some ‘internal’ bodily factors more inmportant than others, I wonder? If so, what are they?

I might consider having my microbiome analysed. If anyone here has expereince of this, it would be intersting to hear about. Eg., did the analysis provide info that was useful, could it be acted on beneficially, cost, etc.? Thanks.

Albeit the advice in Michael’s book is excellent, the truth is there IS no such thing as a one-size fits all optimal diet. It depends – and what it depends on is your micro biome. So if everything is working fine – no health problems -then great, follow the general advice but if the general advice doesn’t seem to work for you – have your micro biome analysed.

Here’s why: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0z03xkwFbw4

As for the SLS as an exigent in oral medication the amounts would be so small as to be irrelevant for most people. Again -speak to your own community pharmacist if in doubt

SLS was (still is) a common “ingredient” in skin products (e.g. aqueous cream as well as many branded products) the advice is avoid like the plague- its notorious for thinning the skin. In my pharmacies we stock an SLS-free version of aqueous cream and try to persuade people to purchase that instead (albeit it does cost a bit more). Anyway – is SLS is listed on the list of “ingredients” on ANY skin prep, my very strong advice is – avoid. If in doubt ask your pharmacist.

He was on the food programme (radio 4 ) recently – fascinating – also plenty on youtube

Hello all, I stopped eating bell peppers years ago as every time I ate them I had terrible tummy pain and would feel sick or actually be sick. I still get intermittent tummy pain which became much worse after living in Thailand in 2008. Recently a friend of mine mentioned that another friend of hers was going on a nightshade free diet. She wondered if I had a nightshade intolerance as she knows about the pepper situation and knows I often get an upset stomach. I’ve cut out nightshade as of today and would like some advice with recipes etc and when to try reintroducing nightshade back into my diet.

Hi Graham, Gordon,
My results came back with 79% proteobacteria – 41% of which is acinetobacter. This seems really high and the only info I can find about acinetobacter is in relation to serious lung and skin infections, not how it affects the gut. Do you know any more about it or any articles I can read that may be helpful?

It would be interesting to hear from anyone with stomach/ gut/ bladder/ urinary tract symptoms they or their medical team attribute to detergents/ emulsifiers in prescription or over the counter drugs.

Input from Graham Phillips [a pharmacist who posts here] would also be most welcome. 🙂 Google suggests SLS is eliminated via the kidneys, but interneting aggravates the muscukoskeletal issue that I was taking celecoxib for!

I am left wondering how much SLS is in these products, if it is enough to negatively affect me, and if this has contributed to recent health issues (cystitis/ not clearly bacterial, rash on face, anxiety). All are preexisting so it may be a coincidence, but recent episodes are atypical.

I obviously have consulted my family doctor, and we have agreed a week off the celecoxib. There is a prescription for a second course of antibiotics waiting if the cystitis symptoms do not resolve or worsen.

Background first … will try to explain any chemical names/ medical terms/ acronyms in square brackets.

My mother and I both have a topical sensitivity – irritant not allergy – to anionic surfactants [foaming detergents in many household/ personal hygiene products]. Shampoo – in my case just bubbles – is a major trigger for atopic eczema, aqueous cream [1% Sodium Lauryl Sulphate] worsens contact dermatitis.

According to the patient information leaflet there is SLS in celecoxib [anti inflammatory] which I was prescribed six weeks ago. And in lansoprazole [reduces stomach acid] which I have not taken regularly in a year and a half.

Amazing, thanks GrahamSPhillips – will drop you an email 🙂

Just heard him on world service radio ( freeview channel 710) “The Food Chain”.

He has AIDS and considers fermented foods to be an important part of his healing !!

Programs are broadcast Sundays and Thursdays.

Am hoping to hear him again on sept 7th !

kindest regards

Firefox7275 – Many thanks for the info.

In fact I do have quite varied diet – plenty of nuts, seeds, pulses and some fish – I was just being relatively brief. Also the word ‘predominant’ was hiding in there somewhere — but the advice is appreciated. I was unaware of the properties of Corn you mention — although in my experience the corn biscuits are very much kinder on my system than wheat, and I eat neither in large quantities. I also eat cheese with apple or pear regularly; berries I’ll try. As I say, my system is in a fairly OK phase at the moment – and I’m not neurotic about it, just like to be able to live well and full of energy. Thanks again. I realise that I didn’t respond to your earlier message re gastroenterologist etc – apologies.

POL: You mention lots of calcium (dairy) but little magnesium (seeds, brans, cocoa), no haem iron, no vitamin D, no omega-3s.

Magnesium particularly is lost in sweat and loose stools, too much water may flush it out. Important in mental health/ anxiety, muscle relaxation/ regular bowel movements.

Corn/ maize is a source of omega-6s, and spikes blood sugar. Overall potentially inflammatory. Consider having your cheese with fruits (berries, apple or pear slices), raw vegetables (pickled onions, fine asparagus, (celery, bell peppers, sprouting broccoli, cauliflower florets) depending which you tolerate best.

POL: I agree the detailed food and symptom diary, with weighed and measured quantities, is key.

The snippets of information in each post might suggest imbalances/ lack of variety/ nutrient deficiencies.

Nutritionally corn/ maize is not a substitute for wheat. You mention few other mineral rich foods (beans, lentils, seeds, nuts, wholegrains, pseudograins). No sources of healthy fats (oily fish, seeds, certain nuts, olives, avocado).

Dear AARA,
if you should like to e-mail , I can send you it.
kindest regards,
g.wanless2014@btinternet.com

Hi Graham

Thanks for the message and the article. I kept a food/symptom diary a long time ago; it was relatively useful at the time, but, well, things are not so bad these days and I’m extremely busy… I suspect my IBS is as much to do with anxiety as food; constipation is related but independent, and luckily both are kind-of-OK at the moment, thanks perhaps to the regime described above, plus the (professionally related) anxiety factors being low at the moment.

I take it that the relevance of the article is that bowel preparation involves laxatives? I’ve had 3 colonoscopies (last one two years ago) and in each case Picolax (not Macrogol) was used. All proved clear, thankfully, but I have wondered whether my symptoms were aggravated by the investigations.

Where you perhaps responding to my initail message posted in June? My messages today were in response to DJSN.

Hi Gordon Wanless,

Went to Amazon to look for your review of Mike’s book but sadly I did not find it. There are almost 500 reviews.

Thanks for your reply

Wishing you all well.

AARA

Hi Pol

Do you keep a food/symptom diary? Its hard to respond without. Tweaking your diet as recommended in CleverGuts might improve everything but without a starting point its hard to advise

http://www.gutmicrobiotaforhealth.com/en/bowel-preparation-may-affect-gut-microbiota-composition-affect-results-experiments/

Hi All,

I would just like to offer a word of caution when it comes to my experience of a colonoscopy. There are very valid reasons for a colonoscopy and if you need one for suspected bowel cancer of something equally serious then stop reading now just accept the Doctor’s advice.

If you are having it done as a routine screening and when you have nothing apparently wrong I would not touch one with a barge pole, or even for a very large financial incentive, based on my own personal experience.

Prior to my colonoscopy and a course of something called Heliclear (2 different antibiotics plus a third drug, a proto pump inhibitor) I had IBS and piles and that was it. Within 6 weeks of the Heliclear in 2004, I was so ill I had to give up my paid employment permanently and have never recovered. At the 6 weeks post Heliclear point the GP diagnosed Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/ME. At the 4 months after Heliclear point Fybomialgia was added to the diagnosis. Six months after Heliclear arthritis was added to the list. It took almost 2 years to get a diagnosis of Rheumatoid Arthritis in mid 2006. 18 months after the Heliclear both wrists were completely fused. Within 6 months for my RA diagnosis I was trying to walk with a hole all the way through my pelvis and the hip joint was replaced. Before 2009 was over both hips and both knees were replaced and half way through 2010 an upper body surgeon wanted to begin replacing both shoulders and both elbows.

Do you really want to take the risk of messing with your microbiota just for a routine screening when you have nothing wrong.?

It took until 2014 before they found a drug to stop the progress of my disease, which has left my skeleton in rather a mess to understate the obvious. By 2014 I was on 10 prescribed medications ever month and attending my local hospital at 4 weekly intervals, for a biological infusion similar to chemotherapy drugs. Most of my hair has fallen out. By 2015 my GP wanted to add at least another 3 different types of medication to the list each month.

I have spent the last 2 years or so attempting to wean myself off the toxic combination of prescribed medication after two additional medications had been tried and nearly cost me my life.

In June 2016 I began to read about gut health, probiotic, prebiotics, Microbiome and Microbiota. I have a long way to go, but I have now been medication free for 20 weeks and just keep going from strength to strength. For me that means having the energy to write this or read rather than slumped in a chair with the TV on and unable to concentrate. Yes I am a very long way off well, but finally my sense of well being is moving in a positive direction.

Please please do not muck up your gut health without a very good reason.

Wishing you all a healthier Clever Gut.

AARA

Dear Red Dancer,
If you should like to e-mail, I can more easily help you get into this field as you request.

kindest regards,

g.wanless2014@btinternet.com

Dear Red Dancer and AARA and all readers,
You are so correct regarding increased chronic disease..

You might be interested in my Amazon Review of Michael’s splendid book…..once this knowledge is in the mainstream,
millions will be saved from unnecessary suffering.

kindest regards

g.wanless2014@btinternet.com

HI FireFox7275,

Thank you so much for all your helpful posts. Please keep up the good work of informing us and helping to make it affordable. I started to try to improve my Gut Health last Summer and it has made a huge difference. I still feel very restricted by a combination of being on a very limited budget and not being well enough to cook or prepare anything beyond a hot drink or a snack. I rely on a carer preparing my main meal of the day and her time is severely restricted, as you might expect.

Shopping is difficult and much of the time and my local Supermarket does not sell at least half the ingredients of a typical recipe aimed at improving the health of you Microbime/Microbiota. And to crown it all my fridge/freezer is a 1980’s vintage with a very small freezer section.

Yet against those odds I have gone from 10 prescriptions a month and a GP who was determined to add three more to the list, to being on no prescribed medication at all. Not bad for someone whose surgeon considered I had the most aggressive and destructive Rheumatoid Arthritis he had ever seen in his entire career. So I must be getting a bit of some of what I am trying to do right.

Thank you for all your time skill and for sharing your knowledge so generously.

AARA

Hi Red Dancer,
I heard the word Microbiome on BBC Radio4 twice in about June 2016 on completely unrelated topics, or so I thoughts. I googled Microbiome and what I have learnt as a result has transformed my life. I hope as more research is done and more people begin to get clever about their guts and what should be living there, that the positive impact on chronic disease will be given the opportunity, by main stream medicine, to fulfill its’ potential. We have to find another way to halt and cure the rising tide of chronic disease in the Western World, before the entire economy collapses under the financial strain. There is also the issue of all those sick people unable to enjoy life as it ought to be.

Just a few days ago I was inspired to write a very long blog on a forum for folks with Rheumatoid Arthritis NRAS HealthUnlocked. After about 50 replies someone asked for info. about what I had read to reach the point where I was currently on no medication. A couple of years ago I was on monthly biological infusions as my local hospital. I got 10 prescriptions a month from my GP back then and he was hounding me to add three more different types of medication to the list. The last time I was well enough to hold down paid employment was well over a decade ago and I have been so ill I have needed regular help from a Carer, again for most of the last decade. Finally in the last 2-3 months my health has begun to improve. This has only happened because my consultant took me off my infusions until various infections cleared up.

A good day for me is to be able to have the energy to read or use my computer, when previously I often spent 16 hours a day in bed and most of the remaining 8 hours slumped in front of the TV. So I still have a long way to go before anyone else could call me well.

The post on the above mentioned site is entitled:-
Some Words of Encouragement. Severe RA and No Meds. Right Now. The Benefits of a Healthier Microbiome. A long way into the 50+ replies you will find a book list with 30 titles all on Gut Health and the Microbiome etc. The first 10 or so books I have read. There are lots of expensive heavy academic research stuff, which I have not read, either because I do not have the relevant Micro Biology Degree, or similar or they are way beyond my budget. This field is moving so fast that I included on my list the books which I am interested in reading, but have not done so because they are so new, or they have not yet been published.

Easy ways to get more info. google, Amazon Books or YouTube. Try Heal my Gut or Healthier Gut for the popular stuff. For a more academic stance try Microbiome or Mictobiota. Amazon lets you learn a lot with the open the book facility, before you need to spend anything. I have gleaned a lot of knowledge that way from books I could never afford to buy.

If I have helped, encouraged or sparked your interest see my profile on here or try the NRAS forum to read my very lengthy post.

May anyone reading this experience better overall health when you have improved the health of your Clever Guts.

AARA

Thanks i did, that’s great.

Dear Untold Gold and readers,

Do you know your blood (AA/EPA) ?

I would recommend 3 main meals and 2 snacks per day with first meal within 1 hour of waking.

No empty carbs, such as potatoes, bread,pasta,rice,grains except steel-cut oats…..Instead brightly coloured vegetables,which are , of course carbs.

Meals simply:-
lean protein size of your palm..
remainder of plate as much brightly coloured vegetable as you can eat.
dash of best quality olive oil

Snacks
nuts,seeds

Sufficient ultra-pure fish oil to maintain blood (AA/EPA) @ 1.5 rather than the normal population >18

More information is contained by referencing the links in my Amazon Review of Michael’s splendid book.

Kindest Regards

Hi Firefox7275

Thank you for your replying. I do include nuts, seeds, lentils etc. in my diet.
I have been seeing a nutritionist and had blood tests to check my vitamin levels. The only thing that was depleted was vitamin B12. She prescribed vitamin B12 and BioAcidophilus, but told me not to take themlong term. After following her advice, l was able to lower my dose of Omeprazole.

The nutritionist prescribed a diet for me which was not far off what l eat normally and my weight stayed the same. Following her advice l omitted carbohydrates for 4 days to see if this would make a difference. Sadly, again my weight stayed the same. She felt unable to help me whilst l’m taking antidepressants. She thought they were suppressing my metabolism and l wouldn’t loose weight whilst l was taking them. I am trying to increase my exercise.

I would like to lose weight as l feel uncomfortable and l’m sure it doesn’t help the hernia. I’m not huge, 5’3 and 10 stone. This is why l asked the question about Clever Guts Diet or Blood Sugar Diet.
Do you have an opinion on this?

Thanks in advance.

Ah! Perhaps I misread – maybe you mean much much Kefir to take per day?

I suppose I drink about 250ml per day — in the morning generally, maybe two lots of 125.

I’d be interested in what others take too.

Thanks so much for the prompt and helpful response.

In my expereince, I would say that it does help – but ‘quantifying’ the effect is far from easy.

Ref other parts of this thread: I’ve managed to quit the macrogol (or any other chemical laxative), with the help (apparently at least) of a combination of kefir, linseeds and water, and a diet predominantly of cheese, fruit and vegetables. I’ve also largely cut out wheat products — subsituting corn crackers to eat with the cheese (I miss bread and wheat biscuits a lot, but don’t miss the effects — so make them an occasional treat).

It’s therefore difficult to tell how much the kefir is individually responsible for benefit. I’ve also taken on board Michael Mosely’s advice about welcoming the right kind of bacteria generally rather than shunning them (eg, I’ve been making a point of eating somewhat over-ripe fruit and cheese… er, not licking the pavement…)

That said, I use the macrogol when travelling – and frankly I still find the whole thing a bit of an unpredicatble mystery…

Hope this helps!