Category Archives: Questions & Answers

Questions & Answers

Protein Powder And Your Weight: What You Need To Know

“Should I take protein powder to lose weight? ” is a question I’ve been asked before.
No, you don’t need protein powder at all to lose weight. In fact, I don’t really like protein powders that much.

Some people do find protein powder helpful, but I prefer that my clients get their protein from whole foods.

In my third or fourth year of practice, which was a long time ago, I used to put people on weight loss programs. I used protocols from different companies as I was learning the ropes of weight loss. I didn’t feel that I had much of a skill set in that area until at least ten years into my work.

In my early days, I put a patient on protein powder. The patient phoned me a few days later and was really upset. They said, “Oh, I got sick, and I vomited the protein powder! What was that all about?!” After discussing the issue with her, it turned out she put the protein powder into Coca-Cola to make a fizzy soda drink. Now, that’s not the right way to use protein powder!

Further readings:

Protein powders work. If you’re going to use protein powder, I don’t recommend white protein powder. I much prefer brown rice and yellow pea protein powders.

Still, I prefer to get my protein really from animal sources and vegetable sources, not from powders. I find it a more natural approach. It just seems more natural for me to eat a beautiful piece of New Zealand fish or a couple of boiled eggs.

I prefer to eat small pieces of protein like that mixed in with some vegetable matter. I don’t usually sit down to eat slabs of meat anymore. I think the biggest chunk of meat I probably would have would be a piece of salmon.

If you want to build weight, protein powders can be good for putting on muscle mass. The problem with these protein powders is when you mix them with drinks that have too much sugar or chemicals.

If you are going to use protein powder, find one that contains no sugar or other sweeteners. Try to get raw, 100% brown rice protein mixed with some yellow pea protein. You can add some unsweetened oat or almond milk to the protein powder.

Again, I prefer to have eggs or fish in my diet than something made in a factory. It’s your decision, but whatever you chose, go the healthy, natural route.

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Questions & Answers

What’s The Connection Between Gut Flora And GERD?

Restoring the gut bacteria to a healthy mix can help improve GERD.

You will get even better results if you identify the underlying cause of the GERD. For example, it could be related to a hiatal hernia. Spicy food could be contributing to your reflux.

As you make the diet and lifestyle changes that will reduce the GERD, you also want to focus on restoring and improving the bacteria in your gut.

The goal should be to get rid of harmful bacteria, remove or reduce the amount of yeast in your gut, and address SIBO. Revamping your gut flora can occur at the same time as you’re working on eliminating GERD.

Further readings:

I suggest looking into probiotics, antifungals, antibacterials, antimicrobials, and other natural treatments rather than pharmaceutical drugs.

I’ve worked with many patients over the years who got rid of their reflux disease entirely by identifying some key triggers. These clients made changes to their diet, reduced the size of their meals, became more active, and made sure not to eat too close to bedtime. They also focused on getting more prebiotic foods into their diet.

Working on eating good foods that help to build good bacterial health is key. Likewise, eating foods that help curb bacterial dysbiosis is also important.

I recommend tackling GERD and your gut flora at the same time. You’ll get much more improvement in your reflux if you also work on the health of your bowels.

The proton pump inhibitors that many people take for GERD can interfere with healthy gut flora. That’s why so many people with reflux, also need to address their bacteria in their GI tract.

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Questions & Answers

What Is The Connection Between Leaky Gut And GERD?

After years of working with clients, I’ve noted a connection between leaky gut and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

I’ve had many clients who had GERD and were taking prescription medications and struggling with the symptoms.

Firstly, let’s review the importance of the small muscular sphincter between the esophagus and the stomach. This sphincter is referred to as the lower esophageal sphincter (LES). The LES stops food from coming back out of the stomach.

The vast majority of patients I’ve seen get reflux disease for specific reasons.

The stomach is similar to a cement mixer. You’re putting carbs, proteins, fat, and water into your stomach. The stomach has to churn up this food, break it down, and produce sufficient digestive enzymes.

Further readings:

Many people eat too quickly and don’t chew their food sufficiently. That’s not good for the stomach.

Your stomach produces a fluid called chyme. Chyme results from the chemical breakdown of food and consists of partially digested foods, water, hydrochloric acid, and several enzymes.

If you eat small meals and take the time eating and chew properly, your digestion will be much more efficient because you break down the food into very small particles. You’ll get fuller quicker.

I believe major triggers for GERD are eating too much food, the wrong kind of food, and eating too quickly.

Other triggers for GERD are lying down after a meal and being significantly overweight. Eating too much dietary fat and eating acidic foods can also contribute to GERD. Snacking close to bedtime can result in gastric reflux as you are trying to fall asleep.

GERD is annoying, and if it goes on for years, it can increase the risk of esophageal and stomach cancers. I had GERD when I was in my mid-twenties. Once I improved my lifestyle and eating habits, the GERD went 100% away.

Some of the foods that can be a particular trigger for GERD include garlic, onions, tomatoes, spicy foods, fatty foods, and alcohol. Smoking also increases the rate of GERD.

Pregnant women can get HERD as the fetus puts pressure on the stomach.

Medications such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can contribute to GERD. In my opinion, most cases of GERD can be cured by changing the habits that underpin the problem.

If you have GERD, ask yourself if you are eating the wrong foods at the wrong time. Are you eating in bed? Are you eating overly large portions? If you have GERD for a long time, it will start to impact your small and large bowel as well. You’ll notice that you’ll get more tired, more grumpy. You won’t sleep properly, and your appetite will act up.

Whatever you do, don’t jump onto using reflux medications for the rest of your life. These types of drugs can make things worse in the end. Instead, go the route of eating smaller portions of healthy foods. Work more on exercise and walking, eating correctly, and chewing properly.

Stop drinking alcohol and minimize the number of pharmaceutical medications you take. If you start making healthy changes, you’ll almost certainly notice an improvement in your GERD.

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Questions & Answers

What Is The Connection Between SIBO And GERD?

Why do SIBO patients tend to have more gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) than non-SIBO patients?

I’ve certainly noticed a connection between the two. Not all people with small intestinal bowel overgrowth issues will have reflux disease, but many do.

Dr. Norman Robillard, Ph.D., an expert in digestion, has a theory that makes sense to me. If you have an overgrowth of bacteria right up at the top part of the duodenum, they will be producing gas in the area. Essentially, there is inappropriate fermentation due to dysbiosis. (I consider SIBO to be a type of dysbiosis).

The gases produced as a result of SIBO put pressure on the stomach and force the acid up rather than down. Over time the lower esophageal sphincter becomes weaker and weaker, and GERD is fully established.

Further readings:

Can we just use proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) to manage the GERD? I think that’s absolutely the wrong thing to do. PPIs create an environment in the lower part of the stomach and upper part of the small bowel that is particularly conducive for bacterial growth. You’d essentially be shooting yourself in the foot by taking PPIs because they exacerbate SIBO.

Dr. Robillard does not consider a FODMAPS diet to be the solution, and I agree with him. I don’t have a cookie-cutter diet that I recommend for GERD or SIBO.

Many people will benefit from some foods that aggravate the hell out of others, so cases have to be taken on their individual merits. I don’t believe in treating patients as a medical version of paint by numbers. The treatment plan should be customized based on several variables unique to each client.

Now you might be saying, “All right, mate, you’ve given us the problem. Now give us the solution.” Well, the solution is to work on the SIBO. Try and get rid of these harmful bacteria in the small intestine.

I suggest taking a supplement that is not only going to work on SIBO but is also effective against small intestine fungal overgrowth (SIFO). You need a broad-spectrum product that’s going to do that.

It’s even better if you get a three sample comprehensive stool analysis done. Once you know everything that needs fixing, undertake a treatment that is at least four to six weeks in length. Re-test and then treat some more if need be.

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Questions & Answers

Proton Pump Inhibitors: What You Need To Know

I firmly believe that you’ll never get rid of acid reflux by taking a proton pump inhibitor.

There are several PPIs on the market – omeprazole, lansoprazole, and Prilosec are a few examples. Millions of people take these drugs every single day, and sometimes for decades.

When I first met my father-in-law years ago, he had a whole line of 15 bottles of anti-acid medication in his garage.

What did we have for dinner that night? Well, my father-in-law had huge pieces of pork, and he ate all the fat that went with it, like big chunks of fat. And, then he had several cups of coffee with two or three teaspoons of sugar in each cup, along with lots of cookies. He would be sitting there, moaning about his stomach all the time.

To me, it’s almost like having a gun and shooting your foot, not understanding the source of the pain. I think it’s crazy. You can’t keep taking medication for a chronic problem like that without expecting something terrible to happen.

Further readings:

I just looked at the Harvard website, where they said that they’re cautioning people about prolonged use of a proton pump inhibitor. In my opinion, you should be concerned about using a PPI for any longer than a week.

When you take a PPI, you inhibiting the ability of the stomach to secrete acid. Now, the stomach isn’t functioning correctly.

It would be like me putting it a brick under the gas pedal. Next thing, you’re driving, and you put your foot down, “Man, this car, what’s wrong with it? It’s not going. It’s just sitting here, you know? And, I can’t get it up to 50 miles an hour. All I can do is 10 miles an hour. What’s wrong?” Well, it’s the brick.

In the case of your stomach, the PPI is the brick. You’re creating a problem. You’ll end up with hip fractures because you’re not getting calcium absorption. You’ll have magnesium deficiency leading to circulatory dysfunction, heart attacks, and strokes. I think even dementia has been linked to PPIs.

Many chronic diseases are linked to prolonged use of PPI drugs. These drugs are dangerous over the longterm. Some doctors are even encouraging people to discontinue their PPI.

You’ll never get rid of reflux disease using PPI because you’re not addressing the underlying cause.

Turn off the pizza, turn off the beer. Turn off the taking lots of aspirin for knee pain every day, whatever you’re doing.

A lot of my friends are medical doctors that do fantastic work with people, but they’re caught in the system. They can only spend five to ten minutes per patient – which isn’t enough time to review the lifestyle advice, which is key to addressing reflux disease.

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