Tag Archives: Antifungal Drug Treatment

Questions & Answers

Your Gut Biome And Your Bloodstream: An Important Connection

Gut bacteria work in teams, and they influence the quality of your blood.

Gene testing allows us to see how important the microbiome is.

When I started practicing, they didn’t have gene sequencing like they had today. If they wanted to study the gut flora, they had to do it by culturing samples in Petri dishes. In some cases, the bacteria were very difficult to culture in the lab.

DNA sequencing allows for accurate identification of the wide variety of microbiomes in the gut. Genetic analysis also facilitates tracking the interaction between gut bacteria within and outside of the GI tract.

The microbiome is responsible for your digestive and overall metabolism. I believe that over time, thousands and thousands of pathways will be discovered using genetic analysis. These pathways will be the link between specific bacteria and specific diseases. I think it will be the absence of beneficial bacteria that will be most commonly associated with sickness.

Further readings:

The more biodiverse a person’s gut, the more powerful and resilient they will be. People with a more narrowly defined band of gut bacteria have many more health-associated problems. This would explain why people living in the Amazon basin with 4 to 5 thousand species of bacteria in their gut have far more robust health that someone in NYC who only has one-quarter of the biome diversity.

I found it interesting to read about the powerful communication that occurs between the gut and the bloodstream. Whatever you eat, has an extremely powerful influence on your bacteria and what is happening in your blood.

When you eat crap, it negatively influences the blood. Eating healthy food improves the quality of your blood. Your blood is such a vital organ that you want to keep it in good shape all the time. You can do that by keeping your biome in good shape. That means eating the right food and having the right kind of lifestyle.

The bacteria in your gut work together in harmony to provide a robust, powerful bloodstream. Your beneficial bacteria work in teams. That’s no surprise. The best companies, businesses, and families also work in teams.

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Questions & Answers

Skinny Genes: What You Need To Know

Do skinny genes really exist, or are they a myth?

I think skinny genes exist, and so do scientists.

There have been many studies on the genetics of weight conducted over the years.

If we go back decades, there was a professor at Arizona State University who was studying genetics using Drosophila (fruit flies). This scientist found that some fruit flies were fat and some were quite lean. The fat fruit flies had a significant advantage because their extra weight could carry them through tough times. The same can be said for polar bears – they need a lot of fat to survive difficult circumstances. However, that’s not what humans living in New York City or L.A. need.

The gene that resulted in bigger fruit flies was named “adipose.” This gene has been studied in mice and rats as well. It turns out if the activity of the adipose gene is upregulated, mice live longer and burn fat faster.

Further readings:

In another study of close to 100,000 people, it was discovered that about 1/2000 people have a variation on chromosome 16. There is a small patch of information on this chromosome that isn’t present in the other 1999/2000 people.

This extra genetic code resulted in a lower than average appetite. These people ended up very lean and sometimes underweight to the point of concern.

You probably know a lady or a guy that can eat whatever they want, and they just don’t put on weight. That could be part of this chromosomal aberration that we’re talking about here.

In some people, it’s dangerous because no matter what they eat, they can’t gain any weight. It’s just as awful being in that situation as it is being 300 or 400 pounds.

In my opinion, genetics also influences personality. In turn, the personality will also naturally drive up or down the endocrine system. Hypothalamic, pituitary, and thyroid activity could all be a bit higher or a bit lower depending on genetics. The hormonal activity can then influence weight.

Remember, it’s not just about genetics. Your weight also reflects the food you eat, how much you move, and your lifestyle.

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Questions & Answers

Vegetable Glycerin: Yes Or No?

Vegetable glycerin is a polyol and a type of glycerol. It’s a compound made from plant oils. It’s non-allergenic, non-mutagenic, and it’s not teratogenic.

It doesn’t do much really, but it’s used a lot as a base for extracts. For example, if you don’t want an alcohol-based herbal preparation, you can have a glycerol-based on instead.

Further readings:

Glycerol can extract things from plants quite effectively. For example, when I used to make up echinacea for a young child, I would often use glycerol as the base. Vegetable glycerin tastes quite nice, so it helps the medicine go down.

Vegetable glycerin is also used in pet foods, toothpaste, cosmetics, and e-cigarettes. Some people use it as a sugar substitute, but I don’t think it’s a great everyday food.

To be honest, I don’t think vegetable glycerin offers any benefit when it comes to treating Candida. As I said, it can be used as a base for herbal medication, but as a stand-alone treatment, it has nothing to offer.

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Questions & Answers

How CanXida Restore Can Help You Lose Weight

A 2013 study found that there is definitely a link between the microbiome and body weight. The researchers found that the larger a person was, the more disordered the bacterial content of their gut. Healthier, leaner people had a more stable microbiome than people who were obese.

It’s very, very, very important that you have a healthy microbiome. It’s more important than having a big bank account. You could have $1 billion in the bank, but if you’ve got a crappy digestive system, you’re going to suffer significantly. You can buy a lot of things, but you can’t buy a good gut.

You’ve got to develop that gut with your lifestyle and your diet. Ample studies now show that there is a link between gut flora and obesity. We can’t say it’s the cause, but we can see there’s an association between the two.

A disordered bowel with dysbiosis and obesity seem to go along with each other. Conversely, there have been many studies linking beneficial bacteria with weight loss. For example, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, one of my favorite Lactobacillus, has been linked to weight loss.

Further readings:

That’s one of the reasons why I like Lactobacillus rhamnosus; it stabilizes the gut. This particular probiotic powerfully improves the immune response in the GI tract and helps to drive down many different species of harmful bacteria and yeasts.

I included Lactobacillus rhamnosus in CanXida Restore because of the compelling evidence that it is very beneficial to gut health.

Based on the feedback I’ve received, women tend to lose a bit more weight, and to do it faster, than men. I don’t know the reason for this difference, but I’ve definitely noticed this pattern. Studies have also found a difference between men and women when it comes to the benefits of probiotics.

Maybe it’s because women take the supplements more regularly, or there may be differences in lifestyle such as alcohol consumption.

I think the probiotics can help people lose weight. But, keep in mind that there are several factors associated with going from lean to obsess. Increased caloric intake, including artificial sweeteners in the diet, and a disrupted circadian rhythm are all associated with weight gain.

A person who’s not sleeping properly, or they’re shift working, will often end up with a weight problem. If you’re overweight and you’re a shift worker, it’s probably time to get rid of that job if at all possible.

If you’re going to take a probiotic to help yourself lose weight, make sure you take it regularly. Make sure you’re getting enough sleep and cut out the junk and excessive fat from your diet. Small amounts of healthy fats are fine, but you don’t want to be filling your plate with trans fat and the like.

Lastly, you’ll get more bang from your probiotic buck if you also include sufficient prebiotics in your diet.

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Questions & Answers

Cupping And Bee Venom: Not The Answer To Candida

I’m a beekeeper, so I’m very familiar with bee stings. What I’ve noticed in my eighth year of beekeeping, is that I don’t really notice the stings anymore. I understand why this happens, and it has helped me understand that bee venom is not harmful to the average person.

When you first get stung, your body produces a lot of histamine, an anti-inflammatory chemical. Histamine counteracts the response to the bee venom, which includes the chemical Phospholipase A.

There are several toxins in the bee venom. If you get stung, the trick is to get the barb out instantly with your fingernail. If you do that, you’re not going to feel much other than a little bit of an itch.

The bee venom triggers a histamine response, which results in redness, swelling, itching, and pain.

A study in Switzerland found out that when beekeepers get stung several times early in the season, they have a robust histamine response. However, over time one of their immune cells called regulatory T cells downregulate the histamine response.

Further readings:

Some studies, particularly those out of China, have shown that bee venom can help people with inflammatory conditions. It’s referred to as Apitherapy or Bee therapy. As for as Candida goes, I don’t see any particular benefit from bee venom therapy.

Cupping has been part of Chinese medicine for thousands of years.

when cupping is used on the traditional acupuncture points, it can have quite a significant effect on pain. But, I don’t think cupping has anything to offer when it comes to Candida.

Some studies have shown that cupping is beneficial for neck pain and menstrual cramps. I think cupping is a lovely part of the acupuncture system. It’s quite pleasant, it’s different from hot stone massage, but you’ll probably find it quite an enjoyable experience.

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