Category Archives: Questions & Answers

Questions & Answers

The Health Benefits Of Bovine Colostrum

Colostrum has been around for a long time as a supplement. It’s use probably goes back a few thousand years. It was revered in Ayurvedic medicine.

Colostrum is the first part of the milk that is produced right after the mammal gives birth. The research I’ve looked at focuses on colostrum use in the USA. Some experts believe that American colostrum is higher-grade than most.

It’s best to source colostrum from grass-fed organic cows and in the first few hours after birth. During that period, immunoglobulin production is particularly high to protect the calf. This colostrum has a very high lactoferrin content. Lactoferrin is an iron-binding glycoprotein which provides the calf an added boost to their immune system in the first few hours of their life.

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Humans will also have an immune system boost from bovine colostrum. This colostrum also includes growth factors to encourage quick antibody productions. There are high levels of minerals, enzymes, proteins, and amino acids, and biotics in colostrum. This is a fantastic mix for anyone who is immunocompromised. It would be useful for people living with HIV as well as people with autoimmune conditions like inflammatory bowel disease.

If you are going to buy colostrum, ask for a specification sheet, so you know exactly what it contains. Colostrum is very low in lactose, so it shouldn’t be much of a problem for most people with lactose intolerance.

I consider colostrum to be one of the superfoods that can benefit anyone with a gut or immune problem. Just make sure you get a high-quality product.

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Questions & Answers

The Microbiome And Your Blood Pressure

Statistics show that about 19% of people in the United States have high blood pressure that can’t be effectively controlled using medications.

In many cases, high blood pressure is called “idiopathic,” meaning that the cause is unknown. It’s hard to treat something when the underlying reason hasn’t been determined.

The research community has been doing a lot of work regarding the human microbiome. We now know that bacteria in the gut have links to many different health conditions, including Parkinson’s disease, dementia, depression, anxiety, autoimmune conditions, to name a few.

Is there a link with high blood pressure. I recently read a study that included about 40 people with normal blood pressure, 50 people with “pre-hypertension,” and 99 people who had progressed to full out hypertension. When they looked at the gut flora of the study participants, they found that people with normal blood pressure tended to have the highest diversity of gut bacteria.

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Subjects with pre- or full out hypertension had a smaller number of bacterial species in their gut. The study doesn’t establish cause and effect, but it’s a starting point for understanding the link between the gut and blood pressure regulation.

If you look at some South American countries and indigenous tribes with more diverse gut flora, they don’t usually have high blood pressure, diabetes, or a lot of the chronic diseases seen in Western countries.

In the future, they may have been able to identify the specific species of gut bacteria that help to keep the blood pressure normal. But in the meantime, you need to control your blood pressure. Stick to your medications but also consider improving your diet by eating a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and legumes. These foods will boost the health of your gut and your health in general.

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Questions & Answers

Is Cooking With Alcohol Bad For The Gut?

Does cooking with alcohol harm the gut?

There’s no doubt about it; alcohol does have a negative effect on the gut. There can be positives to alcohol as well, but it has a lot to do with the amount you consume.

People who drink large quantities of alcohol daily are going to destroy their health.
What about people who are sensible and have small quantities of alcohol now and then? They aren’t likely going to damage their health.

Research tells us that when you cook alcohol for twenty to thirty minutes, up to 60% of the alcohol will evaporate away. If you cook the food for 1 ½ to 2 hours, only about 5% of the original alcohol remains.

I occasionally will make a lovely beef casserole that includes some red wine. I will use a cup of red wine and cook the dish for four or five hours. By the time the stew is ready to eat, there is less than 2% of the alcohol left. That’s a risk I’m willing to take for a delicious meal.

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I haven’t experienced any adverse effects on my gut health from my very moderate use of alcohol.
I have seen some research that neutral spirits like vodka and gin might be a little less damaging to the gut when compared to non-neutral spirits like brandy and whiskey. If the alcohol is transparent and white, it’s a neutral spirit.

But vodka and gin will still have negative effects on your liver, especially if you’re drinking every day and eating a poor diet. You need to replace the nutrients that are lost through the alcohol detoxification process.

If you want a substitute for wine or brandy, you could always try fruit juice. The sugar is still high, but at least there is no alcohol. I would use fruit juice sparingly due to the fructose content. You don’t want to overload your kidneys, liver, or digestive system with alcohol or sugar.

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Questions & Answers

Why You Should Keep Your Gut Flora Balanced

What’s the difference between good and bad bacteria?

It wasn’t that long ago when scientists thought that most bacteria were bad and needed killing. The importance of bacteria to human digestion and health hadn’t been recognized. But now we know very differently.

Bacteria help keep us alive. An imbalance in bacteria causes problems, but bacteria are vital to human well-being.

There are many species of bacteria in the gut. Some have the potential to cause a lot of problems. Some even have the potential to kill you.

All bacteria need to be kept in balance. Even bacteria that are generally beneficial can cause problems if there counts go to high.

Scientists have done enough research to recognize the difference between the good, bad, and the ugly bacteria in the gut. For example, Clostridium perfringens can cause severe problems when it grows too fast. Antibiotics can trigger the imbalance that allows Clostridium to get out of control, sometimes to the extent of being fatal.

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Salmonella is another bacterium that lives in the gut but, through food poisoning, it can increase in numbers and make a person very, very sick.

Parasites and viruses can upset the bacterial balance in the gut. Remember that most of these microorganisms live in the body in tiny amounts in normal circumstances. They don’t cause any problems until their numbers increase and they shift the balance in the gut.

Imbalances can be triggered by medication, stress, traveling, or a poor diet. One of the reasons I recommend eating cultured or fermented foods is that it helps keep the gut flora balanced. One of the best things you can do to keep your gut balanced is to avoid taking antibiotics if at all possible.

If you go back in time, you’ll see that people have been eating cultured and fermented food as far back as we go. They knew that these foods settled the tummy.

You shouldn’t have to fear bacteria. Most people tend to keep a good balance in their gut. Do your best to keep it that way.

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Questions & Answers

What You Should Know About Garlic and Your Gut

Let’s talk about garlic and bacteria.

Many websites are good at bashing garlic, and saying that it indiscriminately kills good and bad bacteria. They suggest avoiding garlic in your diet. Some sites claim that garlic is too pungent and contains chemicals that have an overly powerful effect on the body. A lot of these websites are Ayurvedic websites that don’t like onions or garlic in the diet in general. But, there are generally no scientific links to support the negative opinions of garlic.

Instead, some studies demonstrate garlic having beneficial properties when it comes to GI health. Garlic has not been shown to destroy beneficial gut bacteria. It turns out that various strains of Lactobacillus are resistant to fresh, raw garlic. There is also evidence from studies that garlic is a prebiotic.

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Of course, everything in moderation. If you eat a pound of raw garlic daily, you’re going to wipe everything out, including your relationships. No one is going to come near you. But, if you eat one or two cloves of garlic per day mixed into your food, you’ll be fine.

Garlic can help keep the blood thin, regulate blood pressure, and increase resistance to viruses in the blood. It’s a superb food but should be used carefully.

It’s not uncommon to read studies that completely contradict each other. When it comes to garlic, I think it helps to look at how it was used for hundreds of years by many different populations. It was used so extensively because of the benefits it generated. This is one of the reasons garlic is still around today.

In my opinion, science has validated garlic as a superfood in terms of its positive effects on the body. I put garlic in the same category as fresh salmon, avocados, blueberries, black currents, and 90% dark chocolate. Regularly consuming small amounts of these superfoods will have a profound effect on your health. Eaten in moderation, I have no concerns about garlic killing beneficial gut bacteria.

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