Tag Archives: candida issues

Questions & Answers

What You Need To Know About The Ileocecal Valve

I often get asked questions about the ileocecal valve.

All sorts of gut issues, including SIBO, can lead to tenderness in the area of the ileocecal valve. The valve is located approximately halfway between the belly button and the right hip bone.

There are three sections of the small bowel and one major section of the large bowel. The ilium is the last portion of the small intestine, and it connects to the cecum, the first region of the large intestine. The ileocecal valve is a one-way valve that connects the ilium to the bowel.

The ileocecal valve only opens for brief periods to allow food to pass through. Nerves in the region help control the opening and closing of the ileocecal valve. These nerves and cells lining the ileocecal valve can be damaged by toxins produced by bacteria such as Campylobacter or Shigella. Some of these toxins are so potent that they can partially paralyze the ileocecal valve.

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I have seen many patients over the years with ileocecal issues. Fortunately, these issues can be fixed.

If you have tenderness in the ileocecal region, I would inquire as to whether you also have pain in the lower back or right side of the body. You might be feeling pushing, griping, stabbing, or shooting pain. This pain is linked to ileocecal valve dysfunction.

Other symptoms of ileocecal valve problems include gas and bloating.
A smart step to take would be to get a comprehensive stool analysis. You want to know if there are any bacteria, yeast, or parasites in your gut that could be interfering with proper ileocecal function.

I had a client whose most prominent symptom was tremendous pain around the ileocecal valve. In cases like that, you may be able to get some relief by using a nice hot pack with castor oil while gently massaging the abdomen. Chiropractors and osteopaths can also sometimes help with ileocecal pain. It’s also handy to learn how to gently massage the ileocecal valve on your own while you’re addressing the underlying cause of the dysfunction.

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Questions & Answers

SIBO Diet Mistakes to Avoid

There are specific dietary approaches you want to avoid if you have SIBO. Be careful about following the advice you find on the internet. Some of it is very useful, but there’s no shortage of bad information on the web.

One of the mistakes I see is staying too long on a FODMAPs diet. This type of diet takes out a considerable chunk of carbohydrates from your diet. This is not a good idea as your bowel flora needs fiber for healthy levels of fermentation. I think two to six weeks is the maximum length you should stick with a FODMAP diet.

If you stay on the FODMAP diet for much longer than that, your gut flora can become less balanced. The more restrictive your eating, the less diverse your microbiome.

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One of my patients was on the FODMAP diet for over two years. She ended up looking like skin and bones. The menu was just too restrictive for her. There is no prize for following the most restrictive diet, and in fact, it brings with it the risk of developing disordered eating.

Another error I see is relying on a diet or specific foods to solve your gut problem. I think the first step should always be having a comprehensive stool analysis. Identify the dysfunction in your gut and treat it accordingly. Once you’ve addressed the dysbiosis, yeast, or parasites in your gut, it may be that you don’t need to follow any kind of special diet.

Relying on dietary supplements to keep your bowels regular is another mistake I see repeatedly. Eat enough vegetables and fruit to keep your bowels in working order rather than relying on supplements.

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Questions & Answers

Is Candidiasis A Legitimate Medical Condition?

I’ve had people say that I claim all symptoms in the world mean you have Candida. They go on to say that Candida is a BS diagnosis.

Well, I could fill up a room will all the studies that confirm that Candida is not a “made-up” diagnosis.

Candida can create an incredible range of different conditions in the body. Why would that automatically deem it BS?

When I starting to treat Candida in the ’80s and ’90s, it’s not an exaggeration to say that I was verbally attacked by doctors. I remember having my business card thrown in the trash can by a doctor. I’ve been called every single name under the sun. But, you know what? That doesn’t worry me.

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I’m still here, and I survived the Candida that nearly killed me when I was a young guy.
If you still have your doubts, go to the website for the Center for Disease Control and see how much misery Candida can cause.

One of the reasons Candida can cause such a wide range of symptoms relates to the immune response triggered by the yeast. Various mediators such as interleukins get released in response to the body detecting Candida. Interleukins are a compound made by white blood cells that can trigger a cascade of inflammation throughout the body. Inflammation can cause a whole host of symptoms, including pain, fatigue, and brain fog.

The effects of Candida can range from minor symptoms to fatal infections. Many people who die of cancer must also content with opportunistic Candida infections.

Chronically ill people often have massive Candida issues. That’s a scientific fact, not BS. Just as science proved that the earth isn’t flat, science has proved that Candida is a real problem for many people.

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Questions & Answers

SIBO And Low Fermentation Diets: Yes Or No?

I read an interesting paper about using a low-fermentation diet for SIBO. This diet comes out of a laboratory at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

I don’t agree with all of the recommendations out of this diet. For example, it recommends against yogurt, and yet, in my experience, yogurt is one of the best foods to help clean up the gut. Of course, I’m talking about high-quality, sour, Greek yogurt, not the artificially sweetened industrial type that fills the supermarkets. The yogurt I eat contains plenty of beneficial bacteria. Most of the lactose has already been digested by bacteria.

I’ve yet to meet a sick person whose gut can’t tolerate a teaspoon of yogurt. I’ll often start with that dose. If even that amount is hard to tolerate, we’ll work on cleaning up the diet in a different way.

The low-fermentation diet describes rice, potatoes, and sweet potatoes as the best carbohydrates for SIBO. That’s true but they should also clarify that it is best to cook these carbs first and then bake or fry them the next day. This allows the starch to become more digestible. If you have a gut issue, baked rather than boiled or mashed potatoes are much more tolerable.

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Peanut butter is compatible with a low-fermentation diet. I beg to differ as I consider peanut butter to be an unhealthy food choice. The mold and aflatoxin found in peanut butter pose a risk to liver health. In my experience, peanuts are particularly allergenic for people with SIBO or leaky gut. If you want a gut-healthy nut, have a serving of almonds or Brazil nuts.

Although chocolate is deemed acceptable on the low-fermentation diet (with a warning to watch out for milk chocolate), I disagree. Dark chocolate is fine for healthy people, but if your gut is giving you any trouble, I’d stay away.

What really surprised me was reading that Rice Krispies are considered an ideal breakfast on the low-fermentation diet. I would never recommend refined, starchy rice. Oats or eggs are definitely better breakfast options to my mind.

There’s a warning to watch out for butter, but I personally have never seen clients run into problems from using a high-quality butter.

If you have SIBO, my recommendation is to follow a common-sense diet. If a particular food causes you distress, eliminate it from your diet. Once your gut has improved, you can always rechallenge yourself.

I’ve been working in the field for over thirty years, and I’ve seen hundreds of diets. In my experience, they aren’t individualized enough to help people. The best diet for Mary Jo is Mary Jo’s diet. Our guts are unique, which is why I recommend avoiding cookie-cutter, one size fits all diets. I’ve yet to meet two people with SIBO who have identical microbiomes.

Please don’t fall for the line that we all have to be gluten-free, lactose-free, and dairy-free. Modify your diet to meet the needs of your gut, particularly if you have SIBO or inflammatory bowel disease.

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Questions & Answers

Can I Catch SIBO From Someone Else?

Is SIBO a contagious disease?

No, not at all. It’s a digestive condition in which there is an overgrowth of bacteria in the small bowel. SIBO can’t be passed from one person to another.

Many people worry about contagion when it comes to digestive disorders. Helicobacter pylori can indeed be passed by sharing utensils, but it very rarely happens unless someone is immunosuppressed. However, SIBO is not contagious under any circumstances.

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Samuel Hahnemann, the founder of homeopathy, believed that people attracted disease to them a little bit like iron. A magnet and iron are attracted to each other. For you to attract illness, you have to have a certain susceptibility. His idea is that if your energy is vibrating at a certain level, your body will reject rather than attract a disease. It follows from this theory that if you keep yourself in pretty good shape, you’re less likely to get sick. Healthy people have a much lower chance of getting sick than someone who is already unhealthy.

SIBO, inflammatory bowel disease, and constipation are all examples of GI conditions that are not contagious. You don’t “catch” these illnesses. However, when your body is susceptible, you’re much more likely to develop a health condition.

Stress often contributes to reduced resistance to illness. It’s stress and a lowered resistance rather than catching SIBO from someone else that should worry you.

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