Category Archives: Questions & Answers

Questions & Answers

What You Need To Know About Pancreatic Elastase Deficiency

Before discussing pancreatic elastase deficiency, it helps to know a little about the pancreas. The pancreas is a digestive gland, found deep in the middle of the body. It’s quite a large, feather-shaped gland that connects to different parts of the digestive system, including the small intestine.

The pancreas produces several different enzymes that help digest food properly. The stomach plays the principal role in pre-digesting food. The stomach turns food into a milky substance called chyme, which enters the small intestine. Chyme stimulates the secretion of pancreatic enzymes into the small intestine. These enzymes facilitate proper digestion of protein, carbohydrates, and fats.

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Elastase is one of the digestive enzymes produced by the pancreas. Pancreatic elastase can be easily measured through a simple stool test or as part of a comprehensive stool analysis. A normal level of elastase is between 200 and 500 micrograms/gram. Vegans, vegetarians, or other people who don’t eat a lot of meat will have low levels of elastase in their stool. Nothing wrong with that, it just means that they’re not secreting as much elastase because they’re not eating the highly acidic foods that meat-eaters do.

People often come to see me with bloating and gas when their pancreatic elastase level is between 100 and 200. Sometimes these clients also have pain in the center of their abdomen that radiates through to the back. Other symptoms that can accompany elastase deficiency are nausea, vomiting, oily stools, and terrible cramping pain.

Good health requires proper levels of pancreatic elastase. Causes of elastase deficiency include a low-quality diet, nutritional deficiencies, inadequate chewing, and certain medications.

There are ways of improving the function of your pancreas. Digestive enzymes can help. If you are concerned about the function of your pancreas, see a naturopath or a nutrition-friendly doctor to discuss digestive enzymes. You can also consider using one of my products, CanXida Restore. This product is quite helpful for people with elastase problems.

I have had many clients with low pancreatic elastase improve significantly after taking CanXida Restore. The clients take a dose at lunch and again with the evening meal. After about five to six weeks of treatment with CanXida Restore, the elastase levels would start to increase.

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Questions & Answers

Calprotectin: A Stool Inflammatory Marker

Calprotectin is a protein that arises from the activity of white blood cells in crucial parts of the digestive system. Neutrophils are the white cells that contain calprotectin. When neutrophils disintegrate, they release calprotectin. Higher levels of calprotectin indicate that neutrophils are actively involved in an inflammatory process. Stool calprotectin is considered a marker of inflammation. Elevated calprotectin levels indicate increased immune activity, such as inflammation, occurring in the digestive system.

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Typically, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is associated with elevated calprotectin levels. Calprotectin elevation doesn’t occur with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) which is why calprotectin levels can help distinguish between IBD and IBS. Irritable bowel syndrome is more likely to result in elevated levels of lysozyme, another inflammatory marker, in the stool.

Certain medications can increase calprotectin levels. For example, paracetamol and ibuprofen can elevate calprotectin.

Interestingly, elevated calprotectin is also associated with high blood pressure.

High levels of calprotectin warrant further investigation. It is essential to identify the source of inflammation in the gut to address it appropriately.

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Questions & Answers

Mast Cell Activation Syndrome: What Are The Causes And Triggers?

A lot of people believe that genetics plays a significant role in causing mast cell activation syndrome. There was a study conducted in 2013 that showed that over 70% of people with mast cell problems had got a blood relative with the same condition.

Some people develop MCAS who have no family history of the conditions. In those cases, typical triggers of mast cell activation syndrome include digestive problems, stress, poor diet, leaky gut, and problems with gut bacteria, yeast, and parasites. All those possible MCAS triggers result in severe immune system dysfunction. I believe this list of triggers not only contributes to MCAS but also to many different diseases. A comprehensive stool analysis will tell you whether you have problems with the microorganisms in your gut that may be contributing to MCAS.

I have yet to meet a patient with an autoimmune disease who has excellent digestive health. Every single one of my clients with an autoimmune condition has had gut dysfunction in need of correction.

I’ve mentioned before that some old medical textbooks recommended looking for the hidden microorganism in all cases of apparent autoimmune disease. They’ll often be some undetected bacteria in the body. The “hidden” bacteria can activate the immune system and create a lot of problems for people, and yet nobody looks for that cause.

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Other triggers for MCAS include medications. It’s incredible to me how many people stay on drugs for years and expect that they won’t develop any side effects. The side effects invariably occur.

Many different foods can trigger mast cell activation syndrome. If you have symptoms of MCAS, I suggest avoiding that list of foods.

Your surroundings can also trigger MCAS. You need to be careful about the amount of heat exposure. Are you surrounded by pollution? Is the air full of mold or toxins? Some people believe that more and more people are developing MCAS due to pollution and toxin exposure, as well as daily stress.

I don’t think MCAS develops in response to a single factor. I think it takes a combination of two or three factors along with poor gut function to precipitate MCAS.

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Questions & Answers, Yeast Infection Signs And Symptoms

Using CanXida to Treat Mast Cell Activation Syndrome

The number one treatment for mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS) is diet. You absolutely want to make sure you’re eating low-histamine foods. Supplements are another essential part of the treatment for MCAS. Buffered vitamin C is of the first supplements I recommend. The ester form of vitamin C is also okay. I suggest that people take anywhere between 3000 to 6000 milligrams of vitamin C a day on a trial basis. Vitamin C is a very good antihistamine in its own right.

Bioflavonoids are another supplement I recommend for MCAS. Bioflavonoids help to stabilize mast cells and prevent them from degranulating too quickly. You will need 800 to 2,000 milligrams per day of bioflavonoids. Quercetin is the bioflavonoid I recommend. Quercetin is a bioflavonoid found in plants along with vitamin C. It helps stabilize vitamin C, making the vitamin C even more effective. You will need a minimum of 1,000 milligrams of quercetin per day.

Vitamin B6 (pyridoxal-5-phosphate) is a vitamin with multiple effects. Vitamin B6 has hormonal effects, musculoskeletal actions, and it up-regulates the immune system. Vitamin B6 works well with zinc and magnesium. If you are taking a multivitamin, make sure that it contains B6.

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Omega-3 fatty acids have a powerful anti-inflammatory effect by reducing the level of certain cytokines. If the mast cells do degranulate and release inflammatory molecules, omega-3 fatty acids diminish the impact of these molecules. I recommend that you take 3,000 milligrams per day of omega-3 fatty acids – one dose at breakfast, lunch, and supper.

Digestive enzymes can also help manage MCAS. I suggest considering CanXida Restore, which contains both probiotics and digestive enzymes. You only need one capsule with breakfast and one with your evening meal. You can combine CanXida Restore with CanXida Rebuild, a multivitamin I created that contains vitamin C, vitamin B6, and omega-3 fatty acids. You would still need to take additional vitamins C. CanXida Rebuild also includes all the small trace elements you need to be able to mount a robust immune response.

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Questions & Answers

An Introduction To Butyric Acid (Butyrate)

Butyric Acid (aka butyrate) is a short-chain fatty acid that’s found in a variety of foods. Ghee, raw milk, butter, parmesan cheese, Jerusalem artichokes, and unripe bananas are just some of the foods that contain butyric acid.

Butyrate has a characteristic smell that is not very pleasant. For some, the scent is reminiscent of vomit. I realize that doesn’t sound very good, but butyric acid is excellent for the gut.

Butyrate is a powerful healer for the digestive system. The digestive system produces butyric acid by fermenting different types of carbohydrates. In turn, the butyrate feeds the cells lining the intestine, leaving them nice and plump. By increasing the size of the cells, butyrate stops leaky gut syndrome. Preventing leaky gut syndrome has many benefits, including improving bowel function. Butyrate also stimulates the production of beneficial bacteria in the gut.

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You can get butyric acid as a supplement. It’s called butanoic acid (BTA) in its supplement form. BTA is very good for inflammatory bowel diseases like Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. I would easily recommend up to 600 mg a day of BTA.

Another option is to cook with ghee regularly. I have been cooking with ghee for about 30 years. I recommend starting to use ghee in your kitchen if you have problems with irritable bowel syndrome or inflammatory bowel disease. Switching from olive oil or coconut oil to ghee can make a big difference in bloating, flatulence, cramping, and other digestive problems.

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