Category Archives: Questions & Answers

Questions & Answers

Mucus In Stool: The Need-To-Knows

Several scenarios can result in mucus in the stool. Firstly, a certain amount of mucus in the stool is normal. The normal mucus comes from the mucous membranes in the digestive system.

If there is a large amount of mucus in your stool, particularly if accompanied by other symptoms like pain and bloating, further investigation is needed. Sometimes the mucus is also accompanied by blood in the stool. All of these symptoms are a reason to get checked out by your medical doctor. Weight loss and fever accompanying the mucus are other reasons for seeing your healthcare provider.

Tests for blood in the mucus might include blood tests, a CT scan, a colonoscopy, or other specialized tests. A stool test is also helpful. Inflammatory markers like calprotectin and lysozyme will indicate if there is significant inflammation.

Further readings:

Possible causes of mucus in the stool include proctitis (inflammation of the lower part of the bowel), a bowel obstruction, a parasitic or bacterial infection, or inflammatory bowel diseases. In Crohn’s disease is it quite common to have excess mucus production. I don’t tend to see a lot of mucus with Candida overgrowth. Polyps are another cause of mucus in the stool. Certain types of gastrointestinal cancer can present with increased mucus in the stool.

Mucus in your stool means that you have a level of inflammation or irritation that is causing the mucous membranes to secrete more fluids. Mucus in your stool doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve got cancer. In fact, usually, the problem passes, but it is still worth having it checked out by your doctor.

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Questions & Answers

Gut Inflammation: Using Your Diet To Make A Difference

I’ve been asked to discuss what encompasses the best diet for gut inflammation. The best diet for gut inflammation is a healthy, natural diet.

An anti-inflammatory diet includes an abundance of fresh foods. You shouldn’t be eating packaged foods that have a shelf-life of three to four weeks.

For some people, eating to reduce gut inflammation may necessitate a significant paradigm shift. It’ll mean changing the way they shop, cook, and eat.

A lot of diet changes often need to be made. You can definitely do it, but take your time and do it slowly. Don’t go from a crappy diet to an amazingly healthy diet within a week, because you’re going to get sick.

It’s far better to improve your diet gradually over two to three months. Slowly move into a cleaner and healthier way of eating.

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A great way to start nudging your diet towards a healthier one is to stop eating take-out food. Make more time to prepare meals at home. Shop at farmers’ markets. Shop at excellent health food stores that offer fresh produce.

Another small step you can take is to increase the amount of fruit in your diet slowly. You could add one slice of pineapple to your daily routine, for example. When you start incorporating healthy foods into your diet, you automatically start reducing the crappy foods. Some of the “crappy” foods to look out for are trans-fats, added sugars, and processed carbohydrates like white bread.

Along with a diet change, you might need to change your lifestyle. If you’re always in a rush, you won’t have time to cook from scratch. You might settle for a TV dinner in front of your computer. That’s how you keep inflammation going. I’ve written another article about lifestyle changes that will help reduce gut inflammation. Make sure you look at that report as well.

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Questions & Answers

Gut Inflammation: How Does It Present?

I would say that about 60 to 70 percent of people have low-grade inflammation in their gut. A smaller percentage of people have more severe digestive system inflammation. So, you are certainly not alone if you have a problem with a leaky or inflamed intestinal tract.

What’s the difference between a symptom and a sign? A symptom is your subjective experience. For example, if you tell the doctor you are having abdominal pain, that’s a symptom. A sign, on the other hand, is objective evidence of the condition. If your doctor sees a rash on your skin, that’s a sign. If a doctor can see it or measure it for themselves, that’s a sign.

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Signs of inflammation include findings on blood tests. Your doctor might order a test for the level of c-reactive protein (CRP) or high sensitivity c-reactive protein. This protein is especially linked to heart disease, but CRP is also a good indicator of the general level of inflammation in your body. There are other blood markers of inflammation, including ESR. Your doctor could also do a stool test because it will pick up inflammatory markers like calprotectin and lysozyme. Levels of secretory IgA in the stool can be either very high or very low when the gut is inflamed. My video on secretory IgA explains this marker

Symptoms of gut inflammation include gas, bloating, and irregular bowel movements. Inflammation doesn’t always have to present with pain, although it is not uncommon to have some discomfort. Symptoms of nutrient deficiency such as fatigue and brain fog can be a result of intestinal inflammation and leaky gut. A weak immune system that leaves you prone to infections can also be the result of an inflamed gut. That’s why people with intestinal inflammation may also have recurrent infections of the skin, sinuses, and urinary tract.

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Questions & Answers

Making Sense Of The Pancreatic Enzyme Test

To understand the pancreatic enzyme test, you need to know something about the pancreas. The pancreas has two roles in the body, endocrine and exocrine. An essential pancreatic function is the production of hormones like insulin. Hormone production is the endocrine function of the pancreas.

The exocrine function of the pancreas relates to its role in digestion. Pancreatic enzymes, such as proteases, lipases, and amylases, are involved in different aspects of your digestion. Proteases break down proteins into small components. Lipases work in conjunction with bile to break down and emulsify fats. Amylases break down carbohydrates into sugars. The pancreas produces between six to eight cups of pancreatic fluid a day, which enters the small intestine and facilitates digestion.

The pancreas sits behind the stomach. It can be challenging to diagnose pancreatic dysfunction because it’s in the center of the body. It’s not an organ that you can visualize by using a scope like you can with the stomach or bowels. One way we can determine pancreatic function is through enzyme testing.

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Pancreatic enzymes can be measured in the blood, but only a few can be measured in the stool. The pancreatic elastase enzyme, P-E1, is one that can be tested in the stool because it goes through the digestive system without breaking down. We measure P-E1 to see whether the pancreas is producing enough enzymes. If the pancreas isn’t producing as many enzymes as expected, it’s called exocrine insufficiency. The P-E1 test is very relevant for anyone who has a lot of digestive problems. If the P-E1 enzyme is too low, for example, we start looking for symptoms like bloating, gas, thin stools, poor stool formation, cramping, stools that float, and greasy stools. This list of digestive symptoms can all arise from poor pancreatic function. A stool test will give clinicians, like me, a great insight into how this vital digestive organ is working.

If you are not producing enough pancreatic digestive enzymes, you can notice a remarkable difference from taking enzyme supplements. If you make a diet change, and take supplements for a while, this can often help to bring the pancreas back up to speed again, get it in good shape. If your pancreas is not working well, you must give up drinking alcohol entirely until the pancreas is working better. I recommend the same for pop or anything that contains a lot of sugar.

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Questions & Answers

Low Histamine Foods For Mast Cell Activation Syndrome

If you have mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), it is essential to eat fresh, minimally processed food. You want to eat food that grows on the ground or runs on the ground, not food that comes off a conveyor belt or lives in a vending machine. Mast cell activation syndrome requires a low-histamine diet. My checklist for low-histamine foods includes freshly cooked (not processed) meat and fish. Eggs are generally fine, as are gluten-free grains such as rice and quinoa.

There are many fresh fruits you can eat on a low-histamine diet. You can have watermelon, apple, kiwi cantaloupe, grapes, pears, and berries, to name a few. However, watch out for avocado because it can cause a big problem with histamine.

Almost all fresh vegetables are compatible with a low-histamine diet except for tomatoes, spinach, and eggplant.

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If you want to include milk in your diet, it should be dairy-free milk. Hemp milk, almond milk, and oat milk are all generally okay on a low-histamine diet.

Olive, coconut, and sesame oil are all compatible with mast cell activation syndrome.

Herbals teas such as peppermint and chamomile teas are fine for people with MCAS.

In general, a simple, fresh diet works well with mast cell activation syndrome. Keep an eye on the histamine level of the foods you eat to ensure you don’t make the condition worse. https://www.brighamandwomens.org/medicine/gastroenterology-hepatology-and-endoscopy/advances-newsletters/reducing-gastrointestinal-symptoms-using-mast-cell-disorder-identification-and-treatment

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