Tag Archives: Antifungal Drug Treatment

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.

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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.

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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.

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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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Questions & Answers

The Gut-Healthy Effects Of Sunlight

I recently read a study that demonstrated a relationship between ultraviolet light and an improvement in the gut microbiota.

There’s been a big increase globally in autoimmune disease, inflammatory disease, heart disease, and many other illnesses. These increases have been termed “idiopathic” – meaning no known cause.

But, to me, there is a pretty obvious cause, particularly when you read studies like this one. This is the first study that shows there’s a relationship between ultraviolet light and an improvement in the gut microbiota. This is a fascinating discovery.

This finding correlates with a lot of the information that I’ve been presenting for years. Science is validating that lifestyle, including getting out in the sun, improves your health. There is evidence that getting out in the sun improves your gut microbiota.

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I love going out in the sun, but I’m no fool. I wouldn’t go out in the middle of the day on a hot summer’s day. Do wear a hat and take protection.

It’s ultraviolet A that can be dangerous to your skin. It’s also the type of sunlight that peppers the earth. 95% of the ultraviolet that comes from the sun is UVA. It’s a very powerful light source. It penetrates deep into the skin and can be very harmful to some people.

UVB is a different, narrow band of light. It’s UVB that has a particularly beneficial impact on the body and helps increase vitamin D.

In this study, there were two groups of healthy females. One cohort was given vitamin D leading up to winter, and the other cohort wasn’t. Both group were then exposed to ultraviolet B light three to four times per week. Their vitamin D levels were assessed throughout the study.

Within a week or two, there was a 7.3% increase of vitamin d in the bloodstream of people exposed to ultraviolet B light. But, we already knew that UVB increases vitamin D. So, the more interesting finding was they also found an improvement in gut microbiota after exposure to UVB.

Whether that’s a relationship with vitamin D or a separate issue, remains to be seen. But the point I’m making here is when you go out in the sun, you’re actually improving your gut microbiota. In other words, exposing your skin to the sun modulates the human intestinal microbiome.

The sun should not be shunned. It’s healthy. The best time to go in the sun is before 10 am and then again late afternoon. Don’t go in the sun in the middle of the day lying in a bikini, and then wondering why you look like a lobster.

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Questions & Answers

The Connection Between Leaky Gut And Autoimmune Disease

Despite growing recognition that leaky gut triggers many illnesses, including autoimmune conditions, there is surprisingly little science on how to address this leak.

Although restoring healthy gut and microbiota is considered essentials, conventional medical doctors often debate how best to achieve this. Even alternative practitioners haven’t arrived at a consensus.

When I started practice a long time ago, and I talked about intestinal permeability, people were looking at me like I needed a psychiatric evaluation. Okay? Well, no longer are they looking at me like that.

A lot of doctors know that intestinal permeability exists, but they often don’t have the knowledge or skill set to address a leaky gut. Many MDs, bless their souls, have used pharmaceutical medications for so long, other skills have atrophied. They may give lip service to diet, but their knowledge isn’t extensive.

There are some conventionally trained doctors that masquerade as naturopaths. There walk around in a white coat, saying, “Don’t eat this food and don’t eat that food.” What annoys the heck out of me is that a lot of these doctors have prescribed antibiotics for years, and now they are getting on board with treating leaky gut.

Further readings:

I’ve always worked in intestinal permeability and tried to get patients to understand that lifestyle and diet are paramount in improving gut function. I have always made the point that drugs are usually not the answer to chronic gut problems. In rare cases, pharmaceuticals are necessary, but that is not generally the case.

There is more and more evidence that you can reduce antibody levels by taking gluten, alcohol, coffee, tea, nuts, grains, legumes, and nightshades out of the diet. However, I’m not a fan of a rigid of lists of foods to avoid. The physician or naturopathy needs to customize the patient’s diet rather than applying a cookie-cutter approach.

Patients can usually start putting a lot of these foods back in relatively quickly.
To me, the concern isn’t gluten per se but how much gluten people are eating and how often food is very poor quality.

I’m convinced that eating the right kind of food and living the right kind of lifestyle is the key to preventing autoimmune conditions.

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