Category Archives: Questions & Answers

Questions & Answers

Gut Health And Brain Health: What’s The Connection?

The is a very significant connection between your gut and your brain. Scientists have brought this to light in recent years, but I’ve been aware of the link since I was a child. When I was young, I noticed that how I ate had a significant impact on how I felt. This really hit home when I was in my 20s and developed a very bad Candida problem. Now I’m nearly 60, but I feel amazing because both my diet and lifestyle are healthy.

The function of the gut can influence many aspects of cognitive function, including memory, the ability to put concepts together, mood, and clarity of thought.

A study published in 2016 by the American Academy of Neurology demonstrated just how much impact antibiotics can have on neurological (i.e., brain) function. In this study, a professor at Harvard reviewed information covering 70 years and involving 391 patients. In total, there were 54 antibiotics, from 12 different classes prescribed for these patients. 47% of the people included in the study developed hallucinations or delusions, 14% had seizures, 15% had involuntary muscle twitching, and 5% had a complete loss of body movements. EEGs done on the patients demonstrated abnormal brain wave patterns in 70% of cases. All these side effects were associated with the use of antibiotics.

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The results of that study don’t surprise me. After all, “antibiotics” means anti-health. Imagine what would happen if you ate healthy food and took probiotics instead of using antibiotics.

Good mental health requires several things. You need to have a low-stress life. There’s also overwhelming evidence that people eating a plant-based, Mediterranean style diet are happier, smarter, and less anxious than people who subsist on a diet of French fries, chicken nuggets, and soda pop. In my experience, improving your gut health is much more effective than psychiatric medication when it comes to cognitive function.

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Questions & Answers

The Link Between The Microbiome And Human Health

There is much that we know about the link between the microbiome and human health. There is also much that remains to be discovered.

I can easily cite 50 to 100 scientific papers that validate the profound effect of gut bacteria on inflammatory bowel disease and irritable bowel disease.

Initially, medical sciences focused on symptoms of functional GI disorders. The scientists found that constipation, diarrhea, bloating, and gas could be much improved by using a probiotic. Yet, twenty-five to thirty years ago, people would laugh when I recommended probiotics. People laughed and said, “Probiotics? That’s what you take when you have diarrhea, isn’t it?” I said, “No, no. That’s what you take if you want to feel better overall and if you want to have a better mood.”

Dr. Khem Shahani, a Pakistani microbiologist who came to the U.S.A in the 1960s, was a pioneer in the field of probiotics. When he began to recommend using probiotics, people told him to see a psychiatrist. They thought he had lost his mind. The consensus at the time was that bacteria made people sick. The idea that bacteria can have a beneficial effect was seen as ludicrous.

As you can see, medical science has come a long way in the last 50 to 60 in terms of its understanding of the human microbiome. Can you imagine what we’ll be talking about in the next 50 or 60 years? We won’t be focusing on giving anti-biotics anymore, we’ll be focusing on giving probiotics. We’ll be focusing on natural medicines.

Let’s look at some of the things we have already learned. New Zealand has one of the highest C-section rates in the world. I think approximately 30 percent of women don’t deliver vaginally. A lot of these C-sections are elective, meaning that they are not medically necessary. What makes this so unfortunate is that babies delivered by C-section miss out on being exposed to their mother’s beneficial vaginal and gastrointestinal flora at the time of birth. These babies are very short-changed.

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It turns out that babies born via C-section are a lot more prone to allergies and childhood illnesses. This is particularly true if the children have low levels of Bifidobacteria in their gut. The low levels of Bifidobacteria persist well beyond infancy. Even at ages 10, 12, 15, children born via C-section have much lower Bifidobacteria counts than children born vaginally.

Another interesting aspect of gut health is the discovery that cells in the small intestine are probably more effective at producing neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin than the brain itself. We also know that by positively influencing this environment and improving the microbiome with a healthy diet and probiotics, rates of anxiety and depression can be lowered.

One study demonstrated that transplanting a fecal sample from a depressed person into a mouse with a sterile gut results in the mouse demonstrating evidence of anxiety and depression. Similar studies have been done in rats and rabbits.

I think science is going to one day discover that bacteria influence every single aspect of our being — the healthier the gut, the healthier the human.

What we don’t know yet is how this information is going to be used. Will it be used for the better, i.e., to make a positive difference for all of humanity? Or will it be used to create more pharmaceutical drugs designed to make someone billions?

The take-home message is that the better your microbiome, the better your health. That’s what it’s all about. Eating a good diet that is plant-focused with some lean protein and good fats is a good starting point. Along with a good diet, it’s vital to live a low-stress lifestyle. When you keep those two things in mind, you’re bound to create excellent gut health.

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Questions & Answers

Why Probiotics Are Not Enough

A study out of the Weizmann Institute in Israel examined the impact of 11 strains of probiotics on approximately 25 test subjects. The chief researcher, Dr. Elinav, had the subjects undergo an endoscopy and colonoscopy before and after the probiotics. After three weeks or probiotics, Dr. Elinav noticed that he could divide the subjects into two groups. In one group, the microbiome improved substantially. In the second group, the improvement was absent or very minor.

This study looked at bacteria before and after and whether changes occur due to probiotics. However, the study doesn’t mention levels of Citrobacter, Klebsiella, or Candida. The research is simply documenting that some subjects who took probiotics experienced measurable and positive changes in their gut flora, and some didn’t. The question is, why did the probiotics work for some people, but not everybody?

I suspect that the subjects who didn’t respond to probiotics had other gut issues. It may have been SIBO, Candida, or a parasite. In my opinion, those issues need to be cleared up before expecting a robust response to probiotics. I’ve done thousands of stool tests in my clinic, and most clients need some cleansing or balancing of the gut before supplements, including probiotics, will have an impact.

In my experience, probiotics work much better if less yeast and less dysbiotic bacteria are colonizing the gut. I always work from the premise of getting the gut cleaned up first. I generally start with a few weeks of a gradual diet change. I never recommend a cold turkey approach. I favor a “warm turkey” approach that doesn’t require rapidly overhauling the diet. I get the clients to chew better while they are improving their diet over a couple of weeks. I also add in some relaxation, some lifestyle changes, and better sleep habits. After the gut has cleared up somewhat, I add in the probiotics.

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I believe probiotics have something to offer a lot of people. I think this is particularly true if people add prebiotics to their diet. Prebiotics allow the beneficial bacteria in the probiotic supplements to really take in the gut. There’s no point in taking a probiotic if you’re eating a hamburger, French fries, and a couple of sodas or energy drinks each day. There’s also no point in taking a probiotic if you’re drinking too much alcohol.

I think the studies are coming that will demonstrate that gut cleaning should occur before probiotics are started. Many people I’ve worked with didn’t take any probiotics until we did a stool test, cleaned up their gut, found out what was wrong, and made changes to their diet. Once that was completed, the probiotics had a chance to work and the increase in beneficial bacteria was evident when stool testing was repeated. As the microbiome in the gut became healthier, anxiety disappeared, brain fog went away, and energy went up. We’ve had fantastic results with people the last several months who havefollowed the clean first, probiotic second routine. I firmly believe that one day, scientific research will validate this approach.

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Questions & Answers

Coffee and the Gut: What you need to know

A question I get asked regularly from subscribers is, “Eric, how does coffee affect my gut? Is it bad? Should I keep away from it? Is it junk?”

Coffee has many effects on your digestive system, just like it has many effects on your overall health. Coffee can agitate some people. In other people, coffee can help calm them down. On the plus side, coffee contains antioxidants, similar to dark chocolate. Many people have a cup of coffee to help them concentrate when they’re writing or doing detailed work. For many people, coffee is an enjoyable daily ritual. Often, it’s a social activity as well.

Some people use coffee to help them move their bowels. However, coffee contains acids that can irritate the gut. If you have reflux, inflammatory bowel disease, or another type of digestive condition, avoid coffee if it seems to make things worse. Coffee can also cause problems for people with thyroid or adrenal issues. Don’t be like my grandfather who drank so much coffee that he ended up with a jar full of kidney stones. When I was in my 20s, I had severe Candida, and I couldn’t tolerate coffee at all. Now that my gut is in great shape, I enjoy a good cup of high-quality coffee. I read a study from 2009 that involved 16 healthy adults. The study looked at the types of bacteria found in fecal samples. The subjects had three cups of coffee daily for 14 days. The fecal samples taken after the two weeks of drinking coffee had higher levels of bifidobacteria when compared to samples from people who don’t often drink coffee. It’s interesting that coffee can increase the number of beneficial bacteria. Not only was the number of beneficial bacteria increased, so was their level of activity.

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If you are going to drink coffee, make sure you also drink plenty of water during the day. Coffee and tea are not suitable substitutes for water. Coffee can be dehydrating because caffeine is a diuretic.

My recommendation is that if you have a gut problem, including issues with your pancreas, IBS, or GERD, it’s best to avoid coffee until your digestive system is healthier. This is the same advice I give to people when it comes to fermented foods like kefir and sauerkraut. Don’t put a heap of stuff in your gut when your GI system is already acting up. That won’t work. It’s not good advice to suddenly start eating tons of probiotics and prebiotics.

Coffee can be good. Coffee can be bad. It depends on how much you’re drinking, the quality of the coffee, and the state of your gut. If you’re going to drink coffee, invest in a good coffee maker and pay a little more for high-quality coffee. You won’t regret it.

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Questions & Answers

Gut Microbiome: What You Eat As A Child Matters

For several years now, there has been research coming out showing that children who are breastfed have a far more diverse microbiome than children who aren’t. Many studies also show that infants given antibiotics have increased rates of diabetes and obesity when they get older. The theory is that the destruction of beneficial bacteria due to antibiotics leads to an elevated risk of poor health.

In our clinic, we have always recommended that children be breastfed for a long as possible. Research conducted in both the U.S. and the U.K. has demonstrated that children who breastfeed for extended periods have higher levels of beneficial Prevotella and Bacteroides in their gut. These bacteria produce enzymes that help facilitate the efficient break down of carbohydrates in the gastrointestinal tract. The beneficial bacteria also make it harder for pathogens like yeast and other fungi to colonize the gut.

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Of course, breastfeeding is not possible in all circumstances. In that case, as the child gets older, introduce yogurt or other cultured and fermented foods into their diet. The aim is to help these children build a diverse, healthy gut microbiome.

A healthy microbiome is associated with less anxiety, depression, and cognitive dysfunction in the adolescent years and beyond.

Breastfeeding is great for bonding, and it’s great for the child’s gut. If you can make it work, the longer you breastfeed, the better.

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